Santa Cruz is fun. And from what I understand from my friend who lives down there, there is a shelter that will allow you to basically "borrow" a dog for the day so you can take it hiking and playing and whatnot. Something like that. I SO want to do that, but haven't done it yet.

I'm also a fan of wine country, and I've been pleasantly surprised at finding vegan food around (though it can be tricky).

Hella Vegan Eats has been serving food at the Marin Country Farmers Market on Saturdays for a while now, and I still haven't gone, but when they had a pop-up at Dear Mom, the food was RIDICULOUS awesome, so I'd definitely suggest going there to get some takeout, then maybe a little further north to the Muir Woods. So pretty and nice!

_________________Your heart is a muscle the size of a fistKeep loving, keep fighting

If you have a couple of hours on a Saturday, I can give you a tour of the tank museum at www.mvtf.org ... 8)

Or, since tanks are neither nature-y or vegan-y, you could come wander around Santa Cruz for a while. Borrowed dog or not, there are beaches and vegan food and various hippy (and not so hippy) things to do. Get lunch at Dharma's and poke around on the beach for a while. Go up highway 9 a bit to Felton and walk around in the redwoods. Maybe take the train from Roaring Camp to the Boardwalk and back. -- http://www.roaringcamp.com/ and http://www.dharmaland.com/ .

Santa Cruz and Dharma's is a must-do. And Big Sur isn't too far, though is outside the 2 hour timeframe. Everyone should see Big Sur in their lifetime, so if you haven't, make the time. Also a bit farther, but Stanford-Inn-by-the-Sea in Mendocino is vegan heaven on Earth. And very nature-y.

Go walk Amey's dogs with her in Santa Cruz! And then have a cooking party. Best day trip ever. (Amey, is it cool that I just invited Isa over to your house?).

I really love wine country too. Even if you don't care about wine, there are some adorable B&Bs to stay at and lots of beautiful nature. And it is a lovely drive (provided you have a GPS).

I am so jealous that you are going to be in the bay area. My pals who have been to the Stanford Inn say nothing but good things about it. It is expensive but maybe you'll get treated like royalty since you are the one and only Venomous Head of Veganism.

I bought a book at Green Apple in the Inner Richmond (best bookstore ever) called something like 60 hikes within 60 miles, and my roommate and I used it a lot. If you like hiking, I highly recommend it.

I'll second Mendocino and The Stanford Inn/Ravens Restaurant (see if you can find an airbnb or vrbo place to stay though, because Stanford Inn is super pricey). It's a three hour drive though. For under two hours, you can just head up to Marin, check out Muir Woods and Muir Beach. Muir Beach is a town in addition to a beach, and it's fun if you like people watching the weirdos that live in a small artsy beach town. There are restaurants but I haven't actually eaten there so I don't know what's vegan. I imagine there's something though.

_________________Like the beleaguered people of sub-Saharan Africa, I'll just go to Denny's. Solidarity!-mumbles

So it is a bit further than 2 hours (for me it is 90 minutes) but go over to Mineral in Murphey's CA. Best beet burger ever. Also it is a mountain town with deer crossing signs, wine galore and mountain air! Really nice!

On top of what's already been suggested, Calistoga is a fun place to go with natural hot springs and about a million day spas and hotels with access to the hot springs, many with reasonable prices.

I also really love driving around west Marin & Sonoma in the tiny towns like Pt. Reyes, Bolinas, Freestone, Bodega, Lagunitas, Monte Rio, etc. I would really recommend Guerneville and Armstrong Grove over Muir Woods. It's probably an hour from SF but just as beautiful and, more importantly, way less crowded. If you end up sticking around through the summer, the Russian River (which goes through Guerneville) is a nice place to swim, raft, canoe, etc.

I usually get from Sacramento to Oakland (maybe even SF) in 90 minutes, and I'm not even an exceptionally fast driver. Peak traffic times do not apply, obviously. It should be noted though that Amtrak is the best way to make that journey.

You could go to Napa and ride in a hot air balloon! I've always wanted to do that.

So the owner of Mineral is cool with making a vegan tasting menu...I really think everyone needs to hit this place up!

Also on the way there is a ravioli spot serving up two vegan flavors to go & homemade sauce and stuff to take. Also around the corner we can pan for gold, check out old cemeteries, wild life and such fun nature stuff.

If you come to Marin, I live in fairfax, it is very hippy-like. We have a great bar that has vegan brats (field roast) and beer, if you're into that sort of thing. If you are here before December 17, there is a great ice cream shop that always has a vegan option plus a sorbet. There is also a great Indian burrito place and an awesome HFS that has tons of vegan stuff. A vegan diner is going to open, but I don't know when.

I agree to go to Guernville for the redwoods. Muir woods is usually pretty busy and u less you do one of the big hikes, you are constantly around lots of people. If you want a pretty intense hike I can take you on one in my neighborhood, it is really steep at the beginning and then a lot of downhill. A drive through the Marin headlands is also awesome, especially if you come during the rainy times and don't feel like hiking.

I also agree that you should go to Point Reyes, I love it! And Bovine Bakery always has something vegan. There is also a yarn shop that sells yarn made and spun from local sheep and one of them is a wool/cat fur blend. That always gives me a laugh.

Sol Food in San Rafael is really good, but there isn't much to see in San Rafael, it is on the way to lots of good stuff.

In general I think there are pretty much a million great day trips from the bay area. As far as foodie trips, the Fremont Area is especially well-known for its Punjabi and Afghani populations, so you could probably find some good grocery stores to hit up. I know it's kinda glammy, but I like Palo Alto - it's fun to tool around downtown and then get vegan frozen yogurt at Fraiche.

I know aquariums are maybe a bit weird - but I think the monterey bay aquarium is really super cool. jelly fish and kelp!! seahorses!

this is possibly quite off-target, but I tend to like my day trips on the mundane side for some reason. a few years back we went to Salinas to see the John Steinbeck center, and it was a really great day. The exhibits at the center were very moving and interesting.

How far is Santa Rosa from SF/East Bay? I loved the Peanuts museum - and Santa Rosa has a few good vegan options too. Honestly, that peanuts museum is really really moving. Even the people I went with who aren't into the peanuts (like I am) thought it was really great.